25
Condor
6y

A month or so ago this manufacturer of soldering equipment contacted me with the request to make a video about a review unit (a soldering handle) that they'd send to me for free in exchange. Initially I was really pumped about it - company would send me free stuff!! - but fast-forward to today and I realized how terrible a choice I've made by accepting that offer.

See, that handle is worth only €40 and I've spent so much time on the bloody video material already that it'd make my "pay" expected to be close to €1/h if not less. I feel like I've been exploited, especially since I don't even like the handle's design and am not using it. It's just collecting dust, making my work essentially free labor.

I could return the item but that's gonna cost me a fuckload of money, I could pay for the handle and cut my losses that way.. or I could do the review anyway and end up feeling very bad about that company. Or I could tell them to fuck off and lose a supply chain for my soldering equipment.

I have no idea what to do about this..

Oh and the fact that the correspondent in that company has the worst Chinglish skills imaginable, the communication skills of a toddler and is also super indecisive (they asked me to make a YouTube video first which led me to assume a video format for YouTube, but instead they want to put it on their fucking AliExpress product page, rendering my existing video footage useless!) doesn't help either.. I hate that shit company. Fucking leeches!

Anyway, what would you do when you're in a position like that?

Comments
  • 4
    Tell them you don't want to do the video anymore because you don't like the thing, offer to pay them the 40€ and be done with it.
  • 2
    @RantSomeWhere I didn't sign any documents, either physically or digitally.. all the messaging done about it was through the AliExpress messaging service (which is emails at the manufacturer side apparently). Well I'd love to just drop the whole thing and tell them to find someone else, but they're a decent supplier and as far as I can tell the best bang for the buck currently on the market.. it'd really suck if I end up not being able to buy items there anymore without being in doubt of whether they'll actually ship the item afterwards. Sure I could end up winging things with AliExpress and my platinum member state there would certainly help too, but it just feels wrong IMO.. not that the desires of said company to make me work for shit is any better though, but still :/
  • 4
    @RantSomeWhere Well yeah worst case I could make a new account for purchases there, but the delivery address would still match? I'd like to get myself a P.O. box but until then I doubt that I can get the delivery address somewhere else :/

    Returning the handle if they want it back and asking them to pay for the shipping seems reasonable though.. I mean I tested it, can give them feedback to remove certain flaws present in the current design etc, but other than that I feel like I've done way more than this handle is worth already.
  • 5
    I'd contact them and tell them, that you don't like it. State at least 3 things that you don't like about it, or why your other tools are better and tell them, that you wouldn't reccomend buying it in your review. Then ask them if they still want the review. Most likely they wont...
  • 3
    Just mail them and say that you've been using the product and you aren't liking it at all. There are more pros than cons and you can't be dishonest. imo they'll arrange a pickup of product. Because no company wants a bad review kf their product.
  • 1
    @Deadmau5 *more cons than pros
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